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Monday, 22 June 2015

"I inherited a country with virtually empty treasury and huge debts" - President Buhari

President
Muhammadu Buhari Monday said that he inherited a “‎virtually empty
treasury” with debts running into hundreds of millions of Dollars and
appealed to the media to explain the true position to Nigerians so that
“they won’t match on us”.

The President who spoke while
meeting with members of the State House Press Corps said it was a
disgrace that Nigeria is not able to pay workers salaries adding that
this was as a result of bad management.

According
to him, there was ‎already a lot of pressure on his government due to
the huge expectations of Nigerians on what they desire from the
administration.

While calling on the media to cooperate with his
administration‎, President Buhari said he choose Femi Adesina to be his
Adviser because he is ‘one of the best’.

“It
is not by accident that I got the best of you to be the special
adviser, one of the 15 aides I had to get clearance from the Senate‎. He
is one of the best President of the guild that I can have as special
advisers. I brought one of the best of you so that he can consistently
defend me against you.

“Whether
my job is a difficult one or easy it is up to him, but I’m here to
thank you in advance for ‎what good and ill you are going to do to me.

“I
have to quickly come and see you and welcome you to this place. I hope
‎what happened of recent between the former president and one of you
(the seizure of the accreditation of the Radio Germany reporter) will
not happen between me and you.

“I
hope we are starting and this culture developed, of 100 days is
bringing so much pressure with treasury virtually empty, with debts in
millions of dollars, with state workers and even federal workers not
paid their salaries. It is such a disgrace for Nigeria. I think Nigeria
should be in a position to even pay it’s workers. This bad management
that we find ourselves in, we really need your help to protect us from
people before they match on us” he said.

For
members of the State House Press Corps, it is a first time that they
would be meeting the president, starting from President Obasanjo up to
President Goodluck Jonathan.

Chairman of the State House Press
Corps, Kehinde Amodu who spoke on behalf of members of the Corp pledge
to work with the government in the interest of Nigeria.